Yieldable wiping implement



I NOV. 10, 1953 1 J, MACKERT 2,658,222

YIELDABLE WIFING IMPLEMENT Filed Feb. 20, 1948 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE YIELDABLE WIPING IMPLEMENT John J. Mackert, Detroit, Mich.

Application February 20, 1948, Serial No. 9,813

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a yieldable implement especially adapted for use in wiping windows and other glass surfaces and more particularly has reference to an improved construction of shank for detachably and adjustably connecting a wiper head to a handle for resiliently supporting the wiper head relatively to the handle and whereby the resiliency between the head and handle may be varied at the will of the operator.

Another and important object of the invention is to provide an implement having a resilient shank capable of being readily applied to or removed from the implement head to enable a plurality of heads of different sizes and shapes to be demountably supported thereon.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an implement having means for supporting the Wiper head thereof at a proper angle to facilitate the wiping operation and to enable the implement head to i-lt into restricted spaces and to yieldably bear against a surface to be wiped and at an angle thereto.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the implement;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view thereof showing the implement in operation;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-2 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4 4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 but taken through another portion of the implement handle, andy Figure 7 is a perspective view of one element of the implement.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the novel yieldably wiping implement comprising the invention and which is designated generally 'I includes an elongated substantially straight handle 8 which may be of any desired length, a wiper head, designated generally 9 and a resilient shank,

designated generally Ill1 for yieldably, detachably and adjustably connecting the handle 8 and head 9.

The handle 8 is preferably solid and of circular cross section and is provided at the shank end thereof with longitudinally extending corresponding grooves I I which open outwardly of said shank end and which may extend any desired distance toward the opposite, grip end of the handle and which grooves II are formed in diagrammatically opposed portions of the handle 8, as best seen in Figure 4. The handle 8 is also provided with an annular groove I2 adjacent its shank end and which intersects with the grooves II.

The shank IG includes two corresponding elongated resilient rods each designated generally I3. The rods I3 have corresponding ends thereof slidably and removably disposed within the grooves li and each of said end portions is provided with one or a plurality of outwardly offset portions lll the intermediate portion of each of which is inwardly bowed, as best seen in Figure 6. The portion or portions I4 of the rods I 3 are disposed at corresponding points and said corresponding portions I4, which project from the -grooves II, are adapted to be engaged by split spring rings I5 which engage yieldably around the handle 8 and which frictionally clamp said aforementioned ends of the rods I3 in the grooves II but which will permit the shank I0 to be extended or retracted relatively to the handle 8 against the action of said springs I5 to vary the extent that said shank I0 projects from the handle 8 and accordingly to thereby vary the resiliency of said extended portion. A split spring ring I6, of slightly smaller diameter than the rings I5, is disposed inthe groove l and engages the rods I3 for holding the portions of the rods I3, located adjacent the shank. end of the handle 8 properly positioned within the grooves II and to prevent disengagement of the shank II! from the handle 8 without first removing-said spring ring I6, since the rings l5 and the rod portions I4 will afford obstructions which cannot pass said ring I6 in extending the shank IB,

The rods I3, adjacent their opposite ends, are provided with outwardly offset portions I'I which terminate in terminals I8. Said rod terminals I8 each include an outwardly projecting portion I9 which projects laterally outward from its rod portion Il and an end portion 20 which is outwardly offset relatively to its end portion I'I.

The implement head Il includes a body portion, designated generally 2| formed from an elongated strip which is folded upon itself to form the spaced inner and outer walls22 and 23, respectively, between which is clamped a blade 24 of the head 9 and which is preferably formed from a strip of rubber. As best seen in Figure 2, the outer wall 23 is wider than the inner wall 22 and the free edge thereof is bent to provide an oblique flange 25 which extends across the plane of the inner wall 22 and which causes the outer surface engaging edge portion 26 of the blade 24, which protrudes to beyond the edge of said flange 25 to likewise be disposed at an oblique angle to the plane of the head 9, as seen in Figures 2 and 3.

'I'he inner wall 23 is provided with longitudinally spaced pressed out portions 2l and the bend of the strip forming the body of the head 2l is provided with cut-outs forming elongated longitudinally disposed openings 28 (Figure 3) one of which communicates with each head recess 29 formed by each pressed out portion I'I. The blade 24 is recessed around the recesses 29 so that one of the shank portions I8 can be readily accommodated in each of said recesses. shank portions Il are pressed toward one another so that the terminals I8 may pass through the openings 28 into recesses 29. Portions I 'I are then released and will assume the positions of Figures 1 and 3 due to the resiliency of the shank I0 and in which position the portions I9 will engage against the bottoms of the recesses 29 outwardly of the openings 28 to detachably retain the head 9 non-rotatably mounted on the shank I0 and with the plane of said head disposed substantially parallel to the plane of the shank I9 and the axis of the handle 8l From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the terminal portions I8 will slidably but non-rotatably engage in the recesses 29 so that the rods I3 can be sprung toward one another for readily disengaging terminals I8 from said recesses and thereby from the head 9 but when engaged therewith, as illustrated in Figure 1, the

head will be disposed to properly engage against a window pane or like surface to be wiped thereby, as indicated at 30 in Figure 2 and so that with the plane of the head 9 disposed substantially parallel to the pane 30 the surface engaging portion 2E of the blade 24 will engage the pane and be held obliquely thereto by the flange 25. yieldable shank I0 will enable the blade edge 26 to be held against the pane 30 with any desired pressure by positioning the handle 8 as illustrated in Figure 2 and so that the blade will yieldably bear thereagainst. As previously stated. the ends of the rods I3 which engage in the grooves I I may be slidably adjusted relatively thereto and will be retained in various adjusted positions by the spring rings I5 to vary the distance between the I. handle 8 and the head 9 and accordingly the length of the exposed portion of the shank IIJ and as a result the resiliency of said portion. By positioning the head 9 in substantially the same plane as the shank I0, said head may be readily inserted between overlapped portions of window sashes as illustrated in Figure 2 for engaging the portion of the pane 30 of one of said sashes and which is disposed behind an overlapping portion of the other sash.

By pressing the rod portions II toward one another the terminals I 8 can be disengaged from the recesses 29 through openings 23 and the shank I0 connected to a head of a larger or smaller To positively prevent accidental disengagement of the terminals I8 from recesses 29, a U-shaped rigid clip 3I is provided having relatively short legs 32 and which has an outwardly opening channel extending along the legs 32 and intermediate portion 33 of the clip. Clip 3| ts The Thet

between rod portions I1 and with the leg channels engaging parts thereof as seen in Figure l. When thus disposed, the ends of the channel of clip portion 33 engage the outturned rod portions 34. Legs 32 are made shorter than rod portions I1 and the corners of the channels are cut away as seen at 35 so that clip 3I can be rocked as seen in dotted lines in Figure l in a direction generally longitudinal of the shank I0 to disengage the clip from shank I9 so that head 9 can be detached or for applying the clip 3| to the shank I0. With clip 3| applied, the terminals I8 are non-detachably anchored to the head 9.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wiping implement of the character described, an elongated handle, an implement head having a wiper blade adapted for wiping engagement with a window pane or the like, a resilient shank connecting said head to one end of the handle and resiliently supporting the head relatively to the handle, and said implement head having socket means rigidly, detachably and nonturnably receiving one end of said shank whereby said head is detachably supported rigidly on said shank end and coplanar therewith.

2. In a wiping implement of the character described, an elongated handle, an implement head having a wiper blade adapted for wiping engagement with a windowpane or the like, a resilient shank connecting said head to one end of the handle and resiliently supporting the head relatively to the handle, and means rigidly connecting said head detachably to one end of the shank and with the head and said shank end disposed in the same plane, said shank including a pair of resilient rods disposed parallel to the axis of the handle and in spaced relationship to one another, said rods having terminal portions at corresponding ends thereof disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shank and outwardly offset relatively to the remaining por tions of said rods, and said head having an inner edge disposed adjacent the handle, said head being provided with internal recesses opening outwardly of said inner edge and detachably receiving said outwardly offset terminal portions to detachably mount the head rigidly on said shank.

3. In a wiping implement of the character described, an elongated handle, an implement head having a wiper blade adapted for wiping engagement with a windowpane or the like, a resilient shank connecting said head to one end of the handle and resiliently supporting the head relatively to the handle, and means rigidly connecting said head detachably to one end of the shank and with the head and said shank end disposed in the same plane, said shank including a pair of resilient rods disposed parallel to the axis of the handle and in spaced relationship to one another, said rods having terminal portions at cori responding ends thereof disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shank and outwardly offset relatively to the remaining portions of said rods, and said head having spaced internal recesses, said head having an inner edge disposed adjacent the handle provided with spaced openings communicating with adjacent ends of the internal recesses through which the 'outwardly offset terminals are movable into and out of engagement with the internal recesses when said terminals are displaced toward one another, and the resiliency of the rods normally retaining the outwardly offset terminals in outwardly spaced relationship to said openings and out of registry therewith to detachably secure the head to the shank.

JOHN J. MACKERT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 394,069 Fortin Dec. 4, 1888 586,857 Matthews July 20, 1897 592,076 Brown Oct, 19, 1897 598,008 Putman Jan. 25, 1898 948,641 Bailey Feb. 8, 1910 1,073,612 Lockhart Sept. 23, 1913 Number 6 Name Date Roland Aug. 25, 1914 Allen Sept. 9, 1919 Pederson Mar. 8, 1921 Kracke May 17, 1921 Motter Nov. 1, 1921 Nelson Nov. 1, 1921 Pendergast July 29, 1924 Washburn Jan. 6, 1925 Couture Jan. 5, 1932 Neely Oct. 10, 1933 Obert June 26, 1934 Nlson Sept. 17, 1935 Guggenbuehler Oct. 25, 1938 Carvalho Feb. 27, 1940 Cave Feb. 2, 1943 Olsen Nov. 20, 1945 

